


Baby's First Time Traveler

by Stargazer19



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Coren is Corrupted Baby Steven, Corrupted Baby Steven AU, Corrupted Steven Theory, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Older Brother Twoie, Post-Episode: s06e09 Little Graduation, Pre-Episode: s06e10 Prickly Pair, Time Travel AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:27:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 14,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22623280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stargazer19/pseuds/Stargazer19
Summary: So maybe messing around with Amethyst’s timepiece from years ago was not as good an idea as Steven had thought. How was he supposed to know that the dumb thing actually worked? Now he’s stuck in the past until it recharges. At least he’ll have his dad and baby brother to keep him company while he’s waiting.
Relationships: Greg Universe & Steven Universe, Rose Quartz/Greg Universe, Steven Universe & Coren
Comments: 116
Kudos: 352





	1. Regretting Past Decisions

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Longlostaa for the suggestion for this story and for helping me pick the title! I had a couple of different options, but I couldn’t decide. This won’t be a long story, mainly because I still have to keep up with Templeschool, Starring Roles, and my own schoolwork, but I thought this would be cute for a short multi-chapter story. Mainly because I am incapable of managing my workload and came up with a plot for this when I was supposed to be doing a two-shot. Oh, well. This will be fun, so who cares? Thanks to Mun from the Corrupted Baby Steven blog on Tumblr and Sutimetravelau since this is based on both AUs.

Steven turned the hourglass over in his hands. He couldn’t get over the fact that Amethyst still had this. The odd-looking hourglass with two bulbs on one end and another bulb on the other had somehow survived the many years in her room. He noticed it the other day when she invited him in to hang out. Steven had asked for it on impulse, which is why he was currently sitting on the couch watching the sand slide down the two necks of the glass. Now that he was no longer in charge of Little Homeschool, he’d found himself with more free time. It was boring. He’d recently taken up gardening but his seeds had all been watered and there was nothing he could do until they started growing. Growing…

He sighed as he laid down and set the glass down on his chest. Everyone around him was growing. They were leaving him behind. He continued fiddling with the hourglass as he reminisced about the good-ole days. What he wouldn’t give to go back to a time where he had no worries and everything was so easy. He didn’t notice the grains of sand in the hourglass start to glow. However, he noticed once half the sand was shimmering, and the glow spread until it was so bright that he had to close his eyes. The flash of bright light faded quickly.

“Huh. That was weird.” He blinked the white spots in his vision away and gasped at what he saw. There was no wooden ceiling. It was just rock. He quickly sat up, noticing that there was no couch, either. In fact, there was no beach house!

“Oh no…” He looked around. He was sitting on the ground in front of the temple’s warp pad, next to the opening of the cavern the temple was housed in. Past the entrance was just sand, ocean, and a barbed-wire fence. He grasped the hourglass in his hands. “Did you do this? Well, I want to go back to my time! Now!” He tried turning it over again. A couple of grains glowed, but the light faded just as quickly.

He set the hourglass down, and frantically rubbed his hands through his hair. “Okay, Steven. Calm down. You’re waaay in the past right now, and that’s okay! Just take a deep breath and stay calm…” Steven waited until his heart no longer felt like it would burst out of his chest, before snatching the hourglass off the floor and standing up. Another scan of the area showed no gems in sight. “They must be out right now. Darn it. I probably need their help to learn how this thing works.” He gently floated himself down to the sand. ‘Maybe they’re in town?’

* * *

Steven figured that most people wouldn’t recognize him, so he was probably fine hiding in plain sight. It was early afternoon so many residents of Beach City were walking around and enjoying the warm Spring day. Beach City had changed a lot over the years and yet so much had stayed the same. He could see residents enjoying Fish Stew Pizza, Fryman was shouting something about deals from his restaurant window, and Mr. Smiley was over by the game stands. Before he knew it, he’d managed to scour the whole boardwalk.

“Huh. I’m not sure why I searched for them in town in the first place. I forgot the gems liked staying secretive. Maybe I should look for Dad instead and find them that way?” Where would his dad be if this was before the house was built, but after Steven was born? “Right! This should be when Dad was still living at Vidalia’s house!” Steven walked back through the town until he wound up in front of Vidalia’s home. If there was any doubt that Greg Universe was living here, it was all gone. There, looking shinier than ever, was his dad’s van.

Steven took a deep breath as he knocked on the front door. Nothing could’ve prepared him for the moment his dad opened it. “Hello?” His dad looked at him, questioningly. “Oh, are you one of Vidalia’s friends? She’s not here right now, but I can call her and let her know you came by?” Steven was too starstruck by his father’s appearance to respond. The man standing in front of him, with only a small part of the top of his head balding, was _his_ father. “Hey, man. Are you okay? You look pale.” Steven snapped back to attention. “O-oh! Yes! Sorry about that. I -uh, I’m looking for Greg Universe? It’s about gem stuff.” Greg raised a brow.

“Okay? I don’t know why you’re looking for me, though. I don’t really like getting involved in gem stuff.” Steven rubbed the back of his neck in discomfort. “I-it’s related to your son, Steven.” The older man frowned. “Well, what is it? Look man, if you want to come into the house, then I’m gonna have to say no. My son’s only a baby. Sorry, but I’m trying to look out for him.” Steven shook his head while he crossed his hands in front of him. “No, no, no! No, I- stars this is super awkward. No, I’m sorry. This is gonna be weird but -uh, I guess I’m also your son? From the future?”

Greg stared at him, emotionlessly, for a few seconds before stepping back inside the house. “I’m calling the cops.” As the door was about to close, Steven placed his foot between the door and the frame. “I can prove it! Uh, I remember this story you told me when I was a kid about you and Mom. Vidalia asked you to babysit Sour Cream while she worked at the T-shirt store. You were watching him at the beach when Mom or -uh Rose Quartz showed up, and you three hung out together. While you were there, Rose said something inspirational to you and you went to go write it down. When you came back, they were gone and Sour Cream had climbed up the Ferris Wheel. You tried to save him but Rose had to save you two and that’s when you realized you needed to start acting more like an adult.”

The door opened again, and Greg stared at him in wonder. “I’ve never told anyone that story. Vidalia would’ve skinned me alive if she ever found out.” He smiled at Steven. “Why don’t you come in, Steven? You can explain why you came to the past over a cup of coffee.” Steven let out a relieved sigh as he stepped into the house. When the two were in the kitchen, Steven set the hourglass down on the table. “Believe me. I’m trying to figure that out myself.”  
Greg chuckled and pointed to the living room. “I’m just finishing up Steven’s lunch. Why don’t you go sit on the couch? I’ll be there in a minute.”

The young man smiled and walked into the living room. He froze. There, in front of the couch playing with some blocks and a teddy bear, was a little baby Steven. Wearing a pink onesie and swishing his tail back and forth as he stared curiously at the newcomer. Steven took one look at the corrupted version of his baby self and promptly fainted.


	2. Gaining an Older Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven wakes up to find that not only is he in the past, but he's also in a different universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mun came up with the name Coren to refer to Baby Steven. I’m getting mixed up writing Steven and Baby Steven already, so I’m going to refer to Baby Steven as Coren in narration. The others will just call him Steven when referring to baby Coren. I had to edit this chapter so many times because I'm not the best at writing actions for three people in the same room, let alone three people of the same gender. I kept writing "him," "his," and "he," and then have to go back and change it because I wasn't sure who I was actually referring to. XD

As Steven slowly came to awareness, he realized he was lying comfortably on his couch. He didn’t remember falling asleep on it, but that probably wasn’t a big deal. Although it was restful, he’d had the craziest dream. Steven had dreamed that he’d wound up in a version of the past where he was a baby but was also a partially corrupted gem. He sighed as he couldn’t fall back asleep. Time to get up then. There was a small weight on his stomach as he tried to prop himself up.

That was weird… He craned his head up. Little eyes stared at him from the baby lying on his stomach. Steven slowly laid his head back down on the couch. “Okay, Steven. That was not a dream. You are in the past, and there is a corrupted baby version of you lying on your stomach. And that’s okay.” He took a deep breath before slowly propping himself up. Coren watched him with curious eyes as Steven gently picked him up so he could shift into a sitting position.

“Hey there, Sunshine.” Coren giggled and his tail wagged happily. Steven couldn’t stop himself from awing at the little baby. He was too cute! He gently set the baby down on his lap and waved at him. He watched as the baby grasped his hand with all four of his little hands and cooed in joy. A feeling of protectiveness washed over him. He may have only just met his corrupted baby self but he already knew he would do anything for him.

Steven jumped slightly as he noticed movement in his peripheral. Greg was asleep as well on the nearby armchair with a children’s storybook in his hand. It would probably be best if they let him rest. “Why don’t we let him sleep for now. Do you want to play together?” Coren clapped his hands, so Steven set him down on the floor and laid beside him. There were some toy blocks on the floor, a chewed up teething ring, and a teddy bear. Coren crawled over to the bear and grabbed it in his jaws. He brought it over to Steven, who looked slightly concerned at seeing the ragged state of the bear.

“Okay, I’m guessing you like to chew on this.” He tried to take the bear from Coren, but let go in surprise when Coren pulled it away. He was even more confused when the baby brought it back. This time, he let go when Steven took the bear from him. The young man smiled when he set the bear on the ground and started waving one paw at Coren. His eyes followed the movement intently, and he giggled when Steven made it play peekaboo.

The giggling snapped Greg awake. “Huh? I’m awake! Steven?” He paused when he got two pairs of eyes looking at him from the ground. “Hey, Dad! You’re up!” Steven sat up with the bear in his hands. Coren whined as the bear moved away, so Steven quickly brought it close to Coren again. “Good to see you awake, as well. I didn’t think you would faint when you saw yourself. I thought you’d recognize yourself at this age?” Steven shook his head. “I think the hourglass brought me to the past of a different universe or something because I’ve never been corrupted.”

Greg hummed at the new info. “Well, sorry about not warning you then. At least you two seem to get along well! He really likes you if he’s playing with you already. It took Steven a while to get used to Vidalia. Bit her once and, yeesh, that wasn’t fun.”

Steven winced at the thought. ‘No kidding…’ He looked back over to his baby self, who seemed to have gotten tired of the bear already as was pawing at his hand instead. He set the bear down and moved his hand to the floor. He slid it forward quickly, before bringing it back to his side. Coren tried catching it but was too slow. Steven did it again. This time, Coren brought two hands down on the carpet. He giggled as he caught Steven’s hand the third time.”Yay! You did it!” He cheered and patted Steven on the head with his free hand.

Greg started guffawing. “Look at you! You’re acting like you’re his proud older brother!” Steven blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I mean-! That’s not-! Ugh, just look at him!” He gestured to the baby who was sitting on the carpet staring at him. “He’s adorable!” Greg laughed even harder.

“Alright, alright. I’ll stop messing with you, Steven.” Coren turned to look at him. He tilted his head in confusion when it was clear he wasn’t being addressed. “Huh… That’s gonna be an issue if you both respond to the same name.” Steven sighed. “How about you give me a nickname since he’s already used to being called Steven.” Coren turned his attention to Steven again. He held his arms out and Steven pulled him into his lap. He could feel Coren purring as he combed his fingers through the younger’s hair.

“I don’t know. Steven-Two? Or Schtu-Two?” Steven shook his head at that. Coren was watching him as Steven gestured to himself and said, “Two?” He brushed his free hand through his own hair. It sounded really weird to be called a number. “It’ll take some time to get used to but it’s better than the other names.”

Coren patted Steven’s arm. “Tooie!” The two adults stared incredulously at Coren. Greg knelt down in front of his baby boy and pointed at Steven. He clapped, smiling wide as he shouted, “Tooie!” Greg chuckled as he sat up. “Well, then. I guess your name is Tooie.” He looked at his future son and laughed harder at the stars in his eyes.

Greg looked at his watch. “Well, I should start working on dinner. Could you watch him for me?” Tooie nodded. “I’m stuck in the past until I get the hourglass fixed, so I don’t mind helping out around the house in general. If you don’t mind, that is, since I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

His father stretched as he stood up. “Honestly? That’d be great. It’ll be nice having an extra hand around the house.” Tooie looked over at his dad in surprise. “Don’t the gems come by and help? They were around a lot when I was a baby.”

Greg looked wistfully at Coren. “No. I don’t think they’re very comfortable with the fact that he’s partially corrupted. They only come by when I ask them for some help.” He sighed as he disappeared into the kitchen to work on dinner. Tooie watched him go before looking at his honorary baby brother. How could the gems treat him like that? “When I see them, they’re gonna get an earful from me.”


	3. Beach Days are Fun Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coren enacts a stressful game of hide-and-seek. Tooie just wants to get out of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m going to be using a lot of the scenarios that Mun has drawn or been asked on their blog in this story. I love all of their drawings, so I thought it’d be fun to incorporate little stories behind them. Also, I love hoodie Steven because we only see him wear his main pink jacket all the time, so this gives me a good reason to write him wearing a hoodie. It’s the same purple as Coren, so now they match! XD <3
> 
> Corrupted Baby Steven [ Tumblr ](https://corrupted-baby.tumblr.com/)

‘Dad wasn’t kidding when he said the gems didn’t come over often.’ Tooie had been living with his dad and Coren for a couple of days now. He’d become the unofficial Older Brother/Babysitter whenever the older man needed to run to the store or work at the Car Wash.

His dad had left to go to work several hours ago, leaving Tooie to plan the day for him and Coren. He’d already fed him breakfast, and played with him. It was an amazing day outside, though, and Tooie was not going to waste a chance to get out of the house for a bit. He grabbed his purple hoodie off the back of the armchair and shrugged it on.

He was surprised when his dad had handed him the jacket the morning after he had arrived. Since Tooie had been relaxing at home, he’d only been wearing his pajama shirt and his jean shorts when he was sent to this universe. It was still pretty chilly for Spring from the coastal breeze, so Dad thought he should have a jacket to wear while he was there. The hoodie had become an immediate favorite as it was soft and warm. Coren liked it too, apparently, as he’d taken to curling up in it whenever he left it on the couch or the floor.

Now then, speaking of Coren… Tooie looked around the living room. Where did he go? He smiled as he searched under the couch, the armchair, and the curtains. Not finding the baby, he turned and walked into the kitchen. He wasn’t hiding in any of the cupboards or under the table either.

“Steven? Steven, where are you?” He scratched his chin as he wandered back into the living room. A small growl followed by a giggle made him pause. ‘Okay, so he’s definitely in the living room.’ “Steven? Are we playing Hide-And-Go-Seek?” Minutes passed as he scoured the whole living room. He was dumbfounded. Where in the world was the little guy?

“Alright… I give up! You win! Can you come out now? You’re starting to worry me.” A little rawr sounded from above him. He looked up. “Steven!” He gripped his hair with both hands as he panicked. “How’d you get up there?! Don’t worry, I’ll get you down!” He floated up to the ceiling, grabbing the upside-down baby gently around his armpits. Little Coren blinked at him and mewed in joy as they floated back down to the ground.

“Augh… This is gonna be a regular thing with you, isn’t it…” Coren’s tail wagged as he burrowed against Tooie’s hoodie while purring. Now that his racing heart had calmed, Tooie looked around for Coren’s pink baby hoodie. Dad had warned him before he left that the residents of Beach City didn’t know about Coren. His dad had bought a little pink hoodie for his son to wear when they went out, as it covered the horns on his head, the extra arms, and his tail. Tooie headed back into the kitchen. ‘I’m pretty sure I saw the baby bag over here. It’s probably inside.’

The pink hoodie was neatly folded right where he thought it was. He grabbed it and slipped it over Coren’s head, making sure the hood was up. Now that Coren was ready, he stuffed several beach toys in the baby bag, grabbed the bag and Coren, and headed out. They had a beach day to enjoy.

* * *

Luckily, Vidalia’s house wasn’t too far from the temple. He did his best to skirt around the boardwalk, since he knew everybody would be outside today, by walking down the edge of the neighborhood. Coren stared in wonder at all of the butterflies and bees that were fluttering about. He’d tried to eat one butterfly that fluttered past, but Tooie had managed to pull him away in time. That was a close one.

A few residents were chatting outside as he passed The Big Donut, waving as he walked by. The brothers waved back at the residents and walked out onto the beach. Tooie made sure they were no longer visible to the rest of Beach City, before tugging the hoodie off of Coren. “Alright, Steven! Let’s build a sandcastle. He dropped the baby bag to the ground and dug inside for a plastic bucket. Keeping one eye on Coren, Tooie walked over to the water and filled the bucket to the brim, before walking back over to their spot. His baby brother was already sweeping sand into a pile with his tail. He lifted his hands in the air when he saw Tooie returning with the bucket.

The two spent the next couple of hours playing in the sand. They managed to create several little mounds together that looked like a tiny town with a moat. Tooie had managed to get some water to stay in their moat by packing the sandy bottom really well. Coren had been enamored by the time they were done happily crawling around their town to look at it from all angles.

His phone alarm went off. Tooie pulled the phone out to check the notification. Lunch Time. “Alright, Sunshine. Looks like it’s time for lunch. How about we get some soup from the convenience store, and a couple of Cookie Cats from The Big Donut?” He gathered Coren into his arms and shouldered the baby bag.

“You’re pretty far from the rest of the humans. You do know how close you are to the prohibited part of this beach, right?” Tooie’s eyes widened at the almost snobby tone of the person’s voice. He whipped around. “Pearl?”


	4. Valentine's Day Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooie is excited to spend Valentine's Day with his family. He and Coren bake cupcakes to share with the others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not canon to the current timeline of this story. This is later on when the gems are working on building the beach house. Tooie has already spoken to the gems, and they are trying to be a more active presence in Coren’s life. Also, thanks to Mun, the creator of Corrupted Baby Steven, for suggesting the idea of a cupcake smeared Coren for this chapter!

Tooie woke up with a big grin on his face. “It’s Valentine’s Day!” He pushed himself off the couch and checked the time. _7:13 am._ Perfect! The young man stepped into the kitchen to make breakfast for Dad and Coren. Today was the perfect day to surprise his dad with breakfast in bed. As he got started on the pancakes, eggs, and bacon, he also pulled out some ingredients for cupcakes. While everything was cooking on the stove, he set up a small tray with coffee to take to his dad. He’d bring Coren into the kitchen to eat since he’d probably make a mess.

Now, to the cupcakes. Eggs, milk, flour, sugar, a bit of vanilla extract, butter, salt, and baking powder all went into the mixing bowl. He whisked the liquids separately from the dry ingredients and set it in the fridge as he turned back to his breakfast. The food was ready, he just needed to set up the plates. Tooie crept down the hall to the room Vidalia let his dad stay in. He poked his head in to see the man snoring softly. Coren was situated in his crib next to the bed, already awake. “Tooie! Tooie!” He cried out as Tooie walked into the room. “Morning, Steven! Happy Valentine’s Day! I’ve gotta wake Dad, and then I’ll go ahead and feed you, kay?” He turned back to his dad.

“Dad? Wake up!” He shook his shoulder gently. The man snuffled in his sleep, and lazily pushed his hand away. “’ Nother five, kay?” Tooie pouted, “Fine. Guess I’ll just have to eat your breakfast myself.” That woke him up. “No, I want it. I’m- _yawn_ I’m up.” The man rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed. His oldest son set the tray down on his lap. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Dad! Made you breakfast in bed.” He smiled as he saw all the food his son made him. “Thanks, Tooie! That’s so sweet of you. You know you didn’t have to do this, right?” Tooie laughed, “I know. I thought it’d be a nice surprise. I’ve been living with you guys for a while now, and I thought this would be the perfect way to thank you.”

He walked over to the crib and picked his baby brother up. “I’ve made breakfast for him too, so we’ll be eating in the kitchen. Are you still going over to the temple to work on the house?” Dad nodded as he took a sip of coffee. “Right after I finish this amazing breakfast, son. Seriously, where did you learn how to cook like this?” The young man laughed, “Pearl taught me when I was older. She makes the _best_ pancakes.”

He carried his brother into the kitchen and plopped him in the high chair. Coren’s pancakes were already cut into bite-size pieces, with a light amount of syrup. He also got a small serving of scrambled eggs. Coren immediately started stuffing pancakes into his mouth. Assured that he was eating, Tooie grabbed the bowl out of the fridge and folded the wet ingredients into the dry mix.

It didn’t take him long to pre-heat the oven and pull out some paper cups to place inside the cupcake tray. His dad walked into the kitchen, holding his tray, and placed it in the sink. “Look at you, first breakfast, and now cupcakes? You’re certainly the little baker today.” Tooie scooped the batter into the cups. “You know Lars?” The man shook his head. “You’ll come across him eventually. Anyway, we’re good friends in the future and he’s an amazing baker. He taught me a lot about baking.”

He stopped scooping batter, so he could check on Coren. About half of his food was on his face, but he’d eaten the other half. Dad laughed and went to go clean him up. “Thanks for keeping an eye on him. I’m sure I say it all the time but you’ve been such a big help around here.” His oldest son smiled as he served himself a cup of coffee. “Honestly, this has been really nice. I really like being an older brother. I think we’ll stop by the temple later today, maybe before lunch? I’ll bring some cupcakes with me. That way Coren can give his Valentine’s present to you and the gems.”

“His present?” Tooie pointed at the cupcakes. “I’m gonna try to have him help me frost them. Hopefully, you won’t come home to a new pink interior.” Dad chuckled as he brought Coren’s plate to the sink. “Sounds like a plan! I’m gonna wash these and then I’ll head out. I have my phone if you need me for anything, and I won’t tell the gems you’re coming. It’ll be a nice surprise.”

The oven beeped a little song, signaling the inside had reached the correct temperature. Tooie popped the tray into the oven and set a timer so he could turn them halfway through. “Thanks, Dad. Have a good day at the temple!” The older man waved goodbye and headed out. Tooie turned to look back at Coren, who was watching him happily from the high chair. He reached his hands out when he noticed Tooie looking at him.

“Okay, Sunshine. I’ll put on some morning cartoons while I finish making the cupcakes, but I’m gonna need your help afterward.” He sat his brother in front of the TV and wrapped him in his purple hoodie. The hoodie was way too big for him, but the baby purred as he snuggled into the material. Noise filled the room as a cartoon played on the TV screen. Content that Coren wouldn’t move, he rushed back into the kitchen to check on the cupcakes. Right on time. His timer beeped, so he turned the cupcakes around and reset the timer.

Now he needed to make the frosting before the cupcakes were ready. It didn’t take him long to prepare some buttercream frosting in a mixer. He scooped out a small spoonful and tried it. Sweet and rich. Perfect! Just in time for his timer to go off again. He pulled the tray of cupcakes out of the oven and set it down on a cork coaster to cool. Since Vidalia didn’t have frosting bags and tips, Tooie grabbed a sandwich bag and cut a small corner off. He filled it with frosting and put it in the rest in the fridge so it wouldn’t melt.

He poked his head into the living room. Coren was still watching cartoons but had shifted to a warm sunspot in the living room. He was lying down in the spot, still wrapped in his hoodie, with the most content look on his face.   
“Aww! Sorry, buddy, but I need your help. Do you want to help me frost the cupcakes?” Coren tilted his head questioningly and smiled as Tooie walked over. He pulled the hoodie off and brought Coren back into the kitchen. His little tail wagged at the smell of cupcakes and frosting.

Tooie set him down in his chair again and went to grab the, now cool, tray of cupcakes. He also grabbed the bag of frosting. “Okay, Steven. I’m gonna rotate the plate, and I want you to squeeze the bag.” He positioned the bag and cupcake so the frosting would be piped directly onto the top. Coren reached out with his top two hands and squeezed the bag. His older brother adjusted the bag slowly while he rotated the cupcake so that it ended in a perfect swirl.

“Wow. I didn’t think that’d work! Good job, Steven!” Coren clapped his hands and made grabby motions with his fingers for the bag again. The two worked together to frost all of the cupcakes. On their last cupcake, Tooie filled the bag with more frosting. “Okay, Steven. Last one!” The baby grabbed the bag with all four hands and gripped it so hard that the sandwich bag popped open. Frosting spilled all over Tooie’s and Coren’s hands. “Oh, geez. Here, let me clean that up!” As Tooie went to clean the frosting off, Coren scooped a bunch into one hand and tried it. His eyes widened at the sweetness. “Sweet!” He brought more frosting to his mouth, smearing it down the side of his cheek and all over his chin as he ate it off his hands. “Steven, wait! You’re making a mess!” He grabbed a napkin and started wiping frosting off Coren’s face and hands. When he was clean, Tooie cut up a cupcake and placed it in front of him. “You can eat that while I clean up.” He looked at the mess on the table and sighed when he realized frosting had smeared all over the sleeves of Coren’s onesie as well. “I think I need to give you a bath as well.”

* * *

One clean baby, and a tray of frosted cupcakes later, Tooie had them heading out the door. It was maybe an hour till lunch, but he wanted to enjoy the walk to the temple. Both were wearing their hoodies as they walked through the neighborhood. “I guess everyone’s at the boardwalk or Funland today. It’ll be nice to not have to worry about being seen.”

They made it to the temple fairly quickly. Coren perked up and started scanning the beach. He saw Dad standing by some wood near the van. “Dad!” He called out with a wave. Their dad looked up at his title and smiled when he saw Coren and Tooie walking over. “Hey, you two! Nice to see ya!” He took his son from Tooie and smiled when Coren snuggled against him. “Is it lunchtime already?” His oldest son held out a cupcake. “Pretty much. How’s the building?” Dad smiled as he took a bite. “Man, these are tasty. Good job you two! The house is maybe halfway finished? We’ll probably be done in a week.” He offered a bite to Coren, who proceeded to get frosting all over his face again.

His dad looked pained at the mess. “I don’t know what I was expecting…” Tooie burst into laughter. “I already gave him a bath, so you have to clean that off this time. Will you help me bring these to the gems when you’re done? I want Steven to give it to them.” His dad cleaned the frosting off of Coren’s face. “Sure, Schtu-man. Let’s go.”

The gems looked up when they saw them approaching. “Hey, guys!” Tooie waved as he greeted them. Coren’s tail wagged and he called out, “Hi! Hi!” Pearl clapped her hands together. “Why hello there, Tooie, Steven! What a nice surprise!” Greg set Coren down and Tooie held out the cupcakes to him. “Steven helped me make cupcakes for Valentine’s Day and we wanted to share them with you, right Steven?” Coren held out a cupcake to Amethyst. “Cupcake fawr you!” Amethyst had stars in her eyes as she took the cupcake from him. “Thanks, little man! These look awesome!” She shoved the whole thing in her mouth. “So good~!”

Pearl gave her a disgusted look but quickly wiped it from her face when Coren held one out to her. “Thank you, Steven! What a lovely present.” When she didn’t eat it, he made a face, “Come on, Sunshine. Don’t you want to give one to Garnet too?” The minute he turned to face Tooie, Pearl, slipped the cupcake to Amethyst, who downed it in one gulp. Coren looked back with Garnet’s cupcake to see Pearl’s was gone. “Cupcake?” Pearl smiled. “It was wonderful, Steven.” He smiled and gave the final cupcake to Garnet.

“Thank you, Steven.” She took a bite out of it. “It’s very good.” He clapped his hands together as their dad picked him up again. “If you two want to hang out in the van, you can. Enjoy the sun for a bit, and then we can get lunch together in half an hour.” Tooie agreed and they went to go sit in the van. “That was fun, don’t you think, Steven?” His baby brother nestled against him. “Fun!” The oldest laughed and hugged him close. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Steven.” “Hawpy Vawens Tooie!”


	5. Meeting the Crystal Gems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooie finally meets with the Crystal Gems. It does not go well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry it's taken me so long to update this. Since this story isn't on a schedule like Templeschool, it got brushed to the side while I was trying to catch up. I've noticed in all of my SU stories, I have a bias for Amethyst being forgiven quickly. It's no different here either. XD

“Pearl?” Tooie stared at her in surprise. He knew she had a different style from when his dad showed him the old music video, but it was still weird. She narrowed her eyes at him. “How do you know my name? And-“ Coren threw his hands up in the air. “Paw!” Her eyes widened as she noticed Coren’s presence.  
“Unhand him right now!” She summoned a spear and pointed it at Tooie.

“Wait, Pearl, I can explain!” She charged him, trying to swipe Coren out of his hands. He dodged and put his free hand up in submission. “Pearl, I’m Steven! Steven Universe!” He barely managed to jump out of the way as a spear stabbed the sand where his leg was. Coren started wailing loudly, frightened from Tooie’s jarring dodge and the sight of Pearl charging them. “How dare you try to fool me, human! Hand over Rose’s son!” She thrust her spear at him, only to be shocked as a familiar pink shield diverted her attack.

“What? Rose’s shield?” She turned to look at Coren, who was thrashing and crying in Tooie’s arms. “But, he’s too young to summon…” Tooie snapped his fingers, dematerializing the shield. “Are you going to let me talk now?” Her jaw dropped at the action. “How did you summon Rose’s shield?”

Tooie shushed Coren and brushed his hand through his fluffy hair. He smiled at his baby brother as he calmed down. “My name is Steven Universe, but your Greg and Steven call me Tooie. I accidentally ended up in this timeline after messing with one of the hourglasses from the Sea Shrine.”

Pearl sagged in relief. “Oh, thank Stars! When we found out that you were born corrupted, I was so worried that you’d be that way forever! I’m so glad to know you’ll become normal eventually.” Tooie glared at her. “Excuse me? For your information, I’m from a time where I was never partially corrupted. Second, I don’t appreciate you acting like Steven’s sick. He’s fine the way he is, and besides, you can’t have been that worried since you couldn’t be bothered to visit.

The young man stormed past her. He couldn’t bear to be around her any longer. Maybe after he calmed down, they’d be able to talk again. “Wait! Where are you going?” He didn’t bother turning around or stopping. “I’m going home. If you really want to talk, meet me there in a couple of hours.”

* * *

After storming away from the beach, Tooie made sure that Coren was adequately covered by his hoodie. His baby brother was still sniffling, but he no longer seemed scared. “I’m sorry for raising my voice Sunshine. Now I _have_ to treat you to a Cookie Cat.” Instead of heading to the market, he walked to the Big Donut. A bell chimed as he entered.

“Hello! Welcome to the Big Donut!” He greeted the employee with a nod and pulled two Cookie Cats from the little freezer by the coffee. “Ring me up for two Cookie Cats and a Chocolate with Sprinkles, please?” He paused. “Add on a Strawberry with Sprinkles.” She grabbed the two donuts and bagged them.

“Your little brother is so cute!” She waved at Coren and awed when he happily waved back. “I can tell from the purple paint on his face that you guys have been having a fun day. I hope you enjoy the food!” She handed him his change and waved again as they bid her goodbye. Tooie unwrapped their ice cream and handed one to Coren. They both smiled in bliss as they ate the sweet treat. “Stars, I’ve missed this so much.”

It didn’t take them long to get some groceries from the store and for Tooie to make them lunch. He was washing dishes when the doorbell rang. “Doors open!” He dried the last dish as the gems walked into the kitchen. Tooie blinked a couple of times when he saw Amethyst. He forgot that she used to wear her hair short, and it was weird seeing the style on her now.

“Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl! Glad you could all make it. I’m guessing Pearl filled you in?” Garnet hummed in agreement and sat down. “So, you’re from the future? That would explain why my future vision went crazy a couple of days ago.” Tooie grabbed the donut bag from the counter. “Amethyst catch!” She snagged it out of the air, and her eyes went starry when she saw the Strawberry donut inside. The chocolate was safely hidden in a tall cupboard for when his dad came back from work.

“Thanks, dude! I like you already.” She chomped away at the baked good. Pearl walked over to the hourglass that was sitting in the farthest corner of the kitchen by the wall. “So this is the hourglass of time? Such an odd design.” He shook his head. “No, that’s a different hourglass. It’s why I’m not from your timeline’s future. I’m from the future of an alternate universe.”

Garnet walked over to inspect it as well. “Good thing it didn’t break. The only ways I know to fix it are off-planet. It looks like it just needs to recharge. You should be able to go back to your time before you know it.” Tooie sighed in relief. Even though he liked being here, it’d be nice to go home.

The gems started walking towards the door. “Hey, wait! Where are you guys going?” Garnet turned back to him. “Back to the temple. We just wanted to know what your intentions were and how you arrived here.” Tooie’s face pinched in anger and disbelief. “You’re not going to even say hello to Steven? What is wrong with you, guys? Is Rose the only thing that mattered to you, and now you want nothing to do with Steven?”

Pearl glared at him in annoyance. “Of course, we care about Steven. He’s Rose’s son.” Tooie narrowed his eyes further. “Then, that’s the only reason? Because he was _Rose’s_?” She flinched. Amethyst watched in silence. Garnet pinched her nose between her fingers. “Look. We’re not very comfortable with him because he’s partially corrupted. I’d rather he stay with Greg. We’re too busy to watch over him, especially since he’s more unpredictable like this.”

That was the wrong thing to say. “Get. Out.” Pearl glared at him. “Excuse me?” Pink glowed across Tooie’s cheeks. “I said, get out! You’re not welcome here until you apologize for how rude you’ve been to Dad and Steven.” Amethyst winced but started walking out the door. “You’re okay, Amethyst.” She turned in surprise. “You haven’t been rude, and I know you kinda have to follow what the other two do. You can still visit if you want to.”

She looked between the annoyed gazes of the other two gems and Tooie. When no one said anything else, she awkwardly tiptoed past the others and disappeared into the living room. Garnet stared at him for a moment longer before walking out the door. Pearl followed along with a huff, leaving Tooie alone in the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. He knew they were stubborn in the past, but this was infuriating. The sound of laughter broke him from his thoughts.

A peek into the living room showed Amethyst had shapeshifted into a cat and was playing with Coren. His baby brother was swishing his tail back and forth while Amethyst was trying to pounce on it. He smiled at the scene. At least he could depend on one gem to be there for Coren when he left.


	6. I'd Rather Just Spend Time With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Greg did not think it through when he decided to make it “bring your sons to work day” at the car wash. To save his father's hair, Tooie decides to take Coren to the lighthouse to enjoy the day. The gems make it even better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going through previous posts on the Shattered Dad AU [ Tumblr ](https://shattered-dad-au.tumblr.com/) and I saw the cute drawings of weird things Coren ate. I thought it would be funny to include some of the chaos that is baby Coren in this chapter. Besides, this story was starting to lack on interactions between Greg and his sons. The other thing that I included in here, was a reference to a drawing done by Mun from the Corrupted Baby Steven AU [ Tumblr ](https://corrupted-baby.tumblr.com/post/190989666264/can-you-do-b3-i-need-to-see-coren-with-a-flower) which is the AU this story is based on. Which is the inspiration for this chapter and I may have requested. -w-' It was too cute to pass up, okay?

If he could take back today, Greg would do so in a heartbeat. “I swear I can feel my hair falling out…” He rubbed his eyes with his hands. When he invited Tooie and Coren to come with him to work, this was _not_ how he thought it would go. It seemed like a good idea! Greg was always at work, and he missed hanging out with his sons. It’d been a couple of days since the incident with the gems, and he could tell that Tooie was feeling a little tense. He sighed as the dying squeaks of another chew toy started from somewhere behind him.

Turning on his heel, he could see Coren ravaging a raccoon chew toy that he’d bought last week. ‘Looks like I’ll need to buy another one on my way home.’ Greg looked out the window of the control room to see Tooie spraying down a car with the hose. His son had volunteered to wash the car, saying he’d be able to dry it better with his floating powers, but Greg knew the young man really wanted a breather from Coren.

Don’t get him wrong; he knew his oldest son loved his younger brother. But watching a baby 24/7 was stressful. Tooie probably needed the break since today had been a little more hectic than usual. While Greg washed cars, Tooie had done his best to entertain Coren in the control room. The little guy did _not_ want to stay cooped up, though.

This meant he had somehow found a way out of the control room when Tooie wasn’t looking and ended up getting halfway through a cycle in the car wash. He’d also shredded one of the roller brushes. And chewed through one of his water hoses… And gave Tooie a heart attack by playing an unprompted game of hide-and-seek…

Okay, Greg also needed to make a trip to the Big Donut after work so he could get Tooie a couple of Cookie Cats. A pop broke him from his thoughts. He didn’t even need to look to know that Coren had broken the squeaker in the toy. “Hey, Dad. I’m going to take Steven out to the lighthouse. I’ll meet you back home when you’re done with work?” He spun around to see Tooie standing in the doorway.

“Done already? I thought you just started washing that car?” His oldest son smiled as he walked past. “No. Just finished rinsing it off and drying it.” He chuckled as he took in the mussed areas of his dad’s hair. Must’ve been tugging at it in stress. “I think we’ve been in your hair for long enough today. I’m hoping he’ll burn off some energy playing around outside, and most people don’t go the lighthouse anyway.” He stopped in front of Coren and picked him up. His younger brother smiled with the toy still in his mouth.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, Schtu-ball. Have fun!” He waved as Tooie and Coren headed out. Once the two were out of sight, he sighed in looked out the window. Shredded bits of the brush were still visible inside the wash in clumps. He stretched out before heading for the supply closet. ‘Now, where was that replacement brush?’

* * *

It was a beautiful day in Beach City. There was a refreshing coastal breeze, and flowers were growing plentifully on the hill to the lighthouse. Tooie had gathered several of the yellow flowers before sitting down beside his brother. He skillfully twisted the stems into a chain as Coren batted at a beetle crawling in the grass.

They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the serenity of the day. When the chain became long enough, Tooie tied it together into a flower crown. “Perfect!” Coren abandoned his beetle friend to look up at his brother. He startled when he felt something placed on his head. Tooie smiled at his little brother. He looked so cute in the flower crown. “Here.” He held his phone out, with the camera on selfie mode, so Coren could see himself.

“Fawer!” His tail wagged in delight as Coren started gathering flowers in his hands. He tried to twist the stems into a chain, but they kept falling apart. Calloused hands placed new flowers in front of him. Coren was met with a gentle smile as his brother guided him through the steps. After a couple of flowers became a chain, Tooie moved his hands away so that Coren could try for himself. It was a little messier than Tooie’s, but his younger brother’s chain kept growing.

“Did it!” Little hands held the flower crown up to Tooie. He chuckled as he laid on the ground so Coren could put it on him. “Thanks, Sunshine. I love it!” The other purred in joy as he started on making another one. Both looked up at the sound of flapping.

“Yo! Whatcha up to?” The purple owl quickly shifted into Amethyst. “I was flying by when I saw you two up here. Thought it’d be nice to see hang out?” She snorted when she saw their flower crowns. “You two look cute.” Tooie blushed at the compliment. He turned at Coren’s lack of a reaction but to see him focused on the chain. “Thanks. We’re making some flower crowns. Have you ever made any before?”

She shook her head. “I’ve seen them before, though. Are they hard to make?” Tooie gestured to the flowers surrounding them. “If you want, I can teach you? It’s not too hard.” She jumped to her feet and gathered an armful before returning to them. With a pile of flowers, they had plenty for Tooie to show her the steps. As Amethyst did her first chain without Tooie’s help, she felt a hand tug the hem of her shirt. “Amwest!” She saw Coren holding out a crown to her. “Aww! Thanks, Steven.” The purple gem set her chain down and placed the crown on her head.

It felt nice to be included. No yelling, no danger, no expectations. So different from being around Pearl and Garnet. It was like she could be herself around them. Amethyst chatted with Tooie for a while as she continued to make her own crown. Coren slowly drifted to sleep in Tooie’s lap, lulled by the warmth of the sun and the smell of the sea.

It must’ve been the day to go to the lighthouse because an hour later, Garnet and Pearl were making their way up the hill. When Tooie saw them, he tensed. It had been a couple of days since the incident, and he wasn’t sure what to expect. Pearl looked uncomfortable, and Garnet was as stoic as ever.

“Tooie. I figured you’d be here.” Amethyst shrugged at him when Tooie glanced at her. Looked like she wasn’t sure what to expect either. “Hello, Garnet. Did you need me for anything?” Garnet cleared her throat and sat down, so she wasn’t towering over the others. Pearl knelt down beside her.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said, and I realized that you were right. Rose meant a lot to us. We were basically family, and since Steven is a part of Rose, that makes him family too. I shouldn’t have avoided him all this time.” Tooie narrowed his eyes ad he thought about her epiphany. Pearl took advantage of the silence to interject. “I shouldn’t have acted like Steven was sick either.” She sighed as she stared at the sleeping child. “I am uncomfortable around him because I lost many friends to corruption. It’s hard seeing Steven partially corrupted, and not thinking about the possibility that he could corrupt fully. I didn’t want to get attached, only to experience it all over again.”

Tooie let out a relieved sigh at her admission. “It’s okay, Pearl. I get it. But taking that out on Steven is not. Isn’t it worth it to spend time with him now, so that if something ever happens, you have those memories?” She nodded in agreement. “You’re very wise for your age, Tooie. You’re right, and I’ll get used to him eventually.” She smiled sheepishly at him and gestured to their little group. “Would you mind if we join you? It’s a rather nice day today to relax, and it would make for some nice memories.” Tooie smiled, nudging Coren awake. His baby brother let out a big yawn as he blinked the sleep from his eyes.

“Look who came to visit, Sunshine.” The little one gazed at the newcomers with starry eyes. “Paw! Garnie!” His tail wagged furiously as he crawled over to them to hug them. Both returned the hug with a smile. “Nice to see you, Steven. What are you doing?” Garnet watched as Coren grabbed several flowers in his hand. “Surprise!” She chuckled as Tooie joined him in creating another chain of flowers. Amethyst snickered at how obvious Coren’s ‘surprise’ task was.

It didn’t take either brother long to finish their crowns, and both motioned for Garnet and Pearl to bend down. Tooie placed the crown on Pearl, while Coren placed his on Garnet. The two gems smiled as they noticed everyone was wearing a flower crown. Under the warm sun of a nice spring day, a wonderful change occurred. Their little family got a little bigger.


	7. Dinner Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tooie wants to have everyone's first true family dinner. He can't leave Coren alone at home and it's not really a big deal that he's seen in town anyway. He knows the town will love Coren so he decides to bring him along and not hide the fact he's part gem. Both boys make new friends and return home with high spirits. When Greg gets home, right before the dinner starts, he takes the moment to have a heart to heart with his eldest son.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have Finals next week and I've been pretty busy with studying for that. In return, this chapter is a longer one. I hope you all enjoy it! I have been having a lot of fun chatting with Mun about ideas for this AU concept and I ended up using one of their drawings for this chapter. Go look up their drawing of Coren in a Stitch onesie. It's really cute! And check out Mun's version of the Corrupted Baby Steven / Time Travel AU. Their [ story ](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22978000/chapters/54931726) is the reversal of mine! :D

Twoie looked over his grocery list one more time. “Okay, I’ve got a homemade blueberry pie for Pearl, Cumin Chicken with steamed green beans for those who like eating, and two strawberry cakes.” The list was long. He wanted to make sure this dinner was perfect. The gems had started coming by more often to visit Coren. However, Amethyst was still the only one who came by almost every day.

His dad was at the car wash right now, and the gems had already assured him they would arrive around 6pm. He brushed a hand through his hair. “Alright, it’s nine right now. I’ve got enough time to start the desserts now, since the pie crust has to chill, and then I can start prepping for the rest after. I still need to make lunch for Steven, and I have to run to the store.” He was sweating as he looked back and forth between the kitchen clock and his list.

“Maybe we’ll eat out today.” He tucked it into his wallet and decided to check how much money he had left. He didn’t have a lot when he arrived, but everything was a lot cheaper in this time. He’d barely made a dent in the amount of money he had on him. Tooie peered into the living room to see Coren happily swaying to a song on the TV. He aww’ed at the sight. Coren had been getting more and more expressive. Coren had started humming along with him when he sang with the theme songs on Coren’s cartoons or when he was singing while making meals in the kitchen.

“Okay, Sunshine. We’ve gotta head to the store now if I’m going to get everything done.” Coren cocked his head in confusion but let Tooie pick him up and carry him to the kitchen. The baby watched as his older brother packed a bunch of baby stuff into his baby bag. Tooie hummed in thought as he double-checked everything. “I almost forgot! I just bought this!” Coren’s gaze followed him as he darted out of the room.

Multiple crashes sounded from the hallway. “Tooie?” Everything went silent. The young man almost tripped over himself as he came running back in. “Steven!” His eyes were stars as he hugged his brother close and nuzzled him. “You haven’t called for me since the day you gave me that name!” Coren giggled and nuzzled him back. “Tooie! Tooie!” He smiled and set his baby brother back down on the table. “Okay, I want to try this out. Raise your arms up!” Tooie held his hands up, hoping Coren would mimic him. It worked as the baby raised all four arms in the air.

Tooie pulled out a new onesie for him. It was a cute baby onesie of a character from a Disney movie. “Cute, right? He’s a loveable little alien kinda like you! Except you know, you’re only half-alien.” He laughed as he changed Coren into the Stitch onesie. Coren giggled as Tooie pulled the hood over his hair. The ears on the onesie stuck out, and the antennae hung over his head slightly. “Perfect! Now we can head out.”

* * *

Tooie smiled as he walked onto the boardwalk. He’d been here a couple of times since he’d arrived in the past, but this was the first time he’d been here with Coren while it was busy. His dad was still worried about the reactions of the residents of Beach City to his son. Tooie knew everything would be fine, but he understood why Dad was feeling protective. Oh well, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

They walked into the grocery store, and Tooie was quick to buckle Coren into the child’s seat in the cart. “Okay, Coren. If you behave well, I’ll stop by the Big Donut on our way home for some Cookie Cats.” His brother was too busy staring around at all the people and bright colors to pay him any attention. As he walked around the produce aisle for his ingredients, he smiled as other shoppers flashed smiles at Coren or waved when they noticed him looking.

“Aww, your little brother is adorable! What’s his name?” He turned around from inspecting blueberries to see Barbara Miller smiling at him. She was holding the hand of her daughter Sadie, who was peering at him curiously. “Thank you! His name is Steven. I’m Tooie, by the way. It’s nice to meet you!” Barbara shook his hand in greeting. “I’m Barbara, but you can call me Barb. And this is my daughter Sadie. Say ‘hi,’ sweetie!” He chuckled as she waved at him before ducking behind her mom.

“She’s a little shy when it comes to meeting new people.” Barbara stuck her tongue out at Coren and scrunched her face. The baby laughed at her antics. “And he looks so cute in his costume. You even added extra arms, although they don’t match.” Tooie snorted and made his way over to the cart with his berries. “Oh, the arms are real. You know the giant magical lady that Greg Universe hung out with? Steven is her’s and Greg’s son.” Barbara looked at him for a second with wide eyes before she clapped her hands together in joy. “That’s why he looks so familiar to me! Wow! I can’t believe I didn’t know about it till now.” The two smiled as they watched Sadie start a game of peek-a-boo with Coren.

“How come he never said anything?” Tooie sighed and rubbed the back of his head in nervousness. “Well, he was kinda worried about people’s reactions. I mean, he looks pretty different from other kids, you know?” Barb frowned and nodded. “Yeah, that’s a fair concern. I remember seeing Rose around here a couple of times, and she and her friends were always a little odd. So she’s really a magic lady?” Tooie smirked at her. “Yup! And Steven is half magic as well. That’s why he’s got the horns, arms, and spots.”

“How do you know Greg? I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before, and you two look so alike! I really thought he was your younger brother!” Tooie laughed at her reaction. He’d been planning his cover story for a while. “I’m Greg’s nephew. The rest of our family don’t get along with him. I never had the chance to visit until now. I wanted to get to know him, and finding out I’ve got a cousin was a nice surprise.” He gestured for her to calm down when she started stuttering apologies for bringing up their family issues.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s been really nice staying with them, and I didn’t correct you earlier because… well, I think of Steven as my little brother as well.” Barb let out a relieved sigh. “Well, you’re doing a great job, hun. I’ve gotta get back to shopping, and I’m sure I’ve taken enough of your time today.” She laughed and patted him on the back. “Let me know if you ever want to meet up! My daughter seems to like Steven, and I wouldn’t say no to hanging out with a friend.” Tooie couldn’t keep the big grin off his face. “I would love that.” The two families waved goodbye to each other and continued on with their shopping.

* * *

After a quick lunch at the boardwalk and a pit stop at the Big Donut for Cookie Cats, Tooie and Coren finally made it back home. Tooie laid out his hoodie and some blankets on the floor for his brother. He placed it right on a sunspot and chuckled as Coren burrowed into the pile for a nap. That gave him all the time he needed. The first thing he did was prep the pie crust. With the dough chilling in the fridge, he was able to quickly prepare the ingredients for his dinner and make the batter for his cakes.

The kitchen was a mess by the time Tooie had his cakes decorated and his pie in the oven. “Okay, now to start on the chicken.” As he worked, he didn’t notice Greg walk into the house. “Wow, you’ve been busy!” Tooie yelped and jumped into the air. His face burned in embarrassment as he floated back to the floor. His dad was laughing his butt off as he leaned against the table. “Sorry, Schtu-ball! I thought you heard me come in.”

Greg snorted as he took in the dusting of flour in his son’s hair and the batter stains on his shirt. “You’re going all out on this dinner.” Tooie pouted as he flipped the chicken over and checked on his steaming veggies. “Of course! I want them to be in Steven’s life. It’s not like we really have much family, and I want to know you two will be okay when I eventually go back home.” They both turned to look at the hourglass sitting in the far corner. Over half of the sand in the timepiece had trickled to the bottom since he’d arrived. Tooie guessed the hourglass would be ready once all of the sand had trickled to the bottom heads. Only thing that made sense to him so far.

“It’s been almost two weeks since you’ve been here. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s close to fully charged.” Greg sighed as he saw the sad look on his son’s face. “I love having you here, Tooie. If there’s a way for you to come back and visit or send a message, that will make me really happy. And if you can’t,” he peered into the living room where Coren was playing with a stuffed raccoon. He looked back at his oldest son. “Just know that we love you. No matter what.” Greg laughed as Tooie hugged him. He hadn’t really thought of how life would change once Tooie went back home. He’d gotten so used to having two sons that it completely slipped his mind. And it seemed like Tooie was struggling with that reality. They broke apart at the sound of the doorbell. “Looks like the gems have arrived. I’m gonna let them in, okay?” Tooie nodded as he took a deep breath. He would make sure this was the best family dinner ever. For Coren.


	8. Caring For Coren

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The dinner is a success and Tooie gets the conversation focused on building the beach house. The Gems also get a look into how Tooie cares for Coren. They're going to need to learn if Coren is going to live with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! Sorry, I haven't been updating. I'm busy even on Spring Break it seems. XD Have something that needs to get taken care of by April 1st and I have been spending a lot of time on that. If any of you read Templeschool and don't have Tumblr, I'm going to try to begin posting chapters next Monday. Hopefully, I'll stick to that plan! I hope you're all doing well while the pandemic is going on. Stay safe everyone!
> 
> Special thanks to Mun from the Corrupted Baby Steven AU Tumblr for helping me write this chapter and the suggestion of the song "Lullaby" by Sleeping At Last. It's a beautiful song and I love it as Tooie and Coren's secret song.

Tooie smiled nervously as the gems walked into the kitchen. “Good evening, Tooie! It smells absolutely divine in here!” Pearl clapped her hands together as she looked at the neat spread on the table. Although she did not enjoy eating, she loved the dinner’s presentation. Amethyst was drooling as she took in the multiple dishes on the table. Garnet waved as she made her way to a free chair.

“You did a wonderful job, Tooie. What did you make for us tonight?” Tooie transferred the chicken to the plate in his hand and set it down on the last open space on the table. “I made chicken with green beans. There’s also a salad, as well as pie and cake for dessert. Can I get you guys anything to drink? We have water, juice, or soda?” He’d bought the salad last second at the store, and thank goodness he did. Amethyst looked ready to eat everything. The rest of the family sat down with Dad placing Coren in his high chair. Tooie made sure the stove was off before he grabbed a couple of cups from the cupboard.

“I’ll be fine with a soda, son.” His dad chimed in. “Juice, please!” Amethyst requested as she started filling her plate. “I’ve fine with just water, and Pearl doesn’t want anything.” Tooie nodded at Garnet. He set the cups down at the table and headed back to the stove. While the chicken was cooking, he had boiled some water in a kettle. “I know you said you didn’t want anything to drink, but I think you’ll enjoy this. It’s called tea.”

He set the steaming mug of tea in front of her. “I know you don’t like eating either, so don’t feel pressured into trying anything you don’t want. I did make a pie, just in case, since it’s something you like in the future.” Pearl nodded at his thoughtfulness and took a sip of her drink. “My this is very nice. Thank you, Tooie!”

Tooie and Greg started the conversation, just asking about missions the gems had been on. The time passed quickly. Everyone was enjoying themselves, and eventually, Tooie moved onto dessert. Amethyst almost cried as she hugged Tooie for baking her a cake. The others laughed while she smiled happily with each bite. Pearl had impressed them all by serving herself a slice of pie. All in all, the dinner was a success!

“You know what? Since Steven is part gem, we should train him on how to use his gem powers as he grows.” Tooie looked at Garnet with wide eyes. He paused in his task of feeding Coren to watch the other’s reaction. “But don’t you guys stay in the temple? That’s not habitable for a human, let alone a child.” Dad interjected. Tooie looked over at the gems while he resumed feeding his younger brother. “You could always build a house around the temple?” Everyone startled at his idea.

Pearl started writing something out in the air. “It’d certainly be possible. There is plenty of space outside the temple, and we could always build stairs.” She clapped her hands together. “Yes! I really think that will work! We’ll need lots of wood and- and furniture! We’ll need plumbing…” She started muttering to herself, with Garnet and Amethyst smiling as she got lost in her own world.

His dad nodded to himself. “That’d certainly be better than living in the van all of the time. I love the freedom, but it’s probably not the best living arrangement for a kid.” He smiled and reached his hand out across the table. “Alright, Garnet! I’ll help you guys build the house too! I know what needs to be in a general house and how to furnish it. You guys are going to be better at handling the actual building. Let’s work together to make a house for Steven!” A cheer resounded through the house. Even Coren cheered and clapped his hands at their excitement.

With dinner done, Tooie and Greg cleaned up the table. The gems continued planning out where they would get materials for the house and once the dishes were in the rack and the food was in the fridge, everyone moved into the living room. Tooie stayed out of the planning, for the most part, deciding instead to play with Coren. The little baby was getting frustrated with the lack of attention but calmed down when his big brother brought out his favorite plushie.

Amethyst quickly got bored of the discussion as well and joined them. She and Tooie passed the toy between each other in a game of keep-away. Coren was great at pouncing on the toy as they slid it across the ground, earning a couple of laughs from the rest of the family. Tooie was happy to know that Coren would be alright now. The gems were now actively trying to help in his little brother’s life. They were going to build the beach house, so Coren had someplace to stay.

He frowned, though, as the thought about how lonely he was in the house at times. Would the gems still stay by themselves again? He hoped not. ‘I should probably make sure they know more about taking care of humans before I leave. I love them, but my Crystal Gems had a hard time caring for me.’ Before he could talk to them, he felt something tug on his hoodie sleeve. Coren had crawled over to him and raised his arms. Tooie smiled as he picked him up. His baby brother snuggled into him, yawning tiredly.

“Okay, Sunshine. Time for bed.” He turned to the others, who were watching him curiously. “I’m going to put Steven to bed. You guys continue without me.” He smiled as they nodded and carried Coren to the bathroom. He gave him a quick bath, brushed his teeth, and dressed him in his PJs. His brother sleepily rubbed his eyes while Tooie looked around Coren’s room for his guitar. “Found it!” Tooie set his brother down in his crib, then maneuvered the guitar to rest comfortably in his arms.

He didn’t hear the gems knock on the door, nor notice when they poked their heads inside. “We had a fun day today, didn’t we?” He chuckled when Coren sleepily smiled at him. “I’m glad the gems are going to take care of you now with Dad. I was so worried I’d leave before they did.” He started strumming a melody. “I’m going to have to leave soon. The hourglass is almost charged, and I have no idea if I’ll ever see you again.” He paused a moment to brush his hand through Coren’s fluffy hair.

He blinked a tear from his eyes as he went back to strumming the guitar. “We’ll always have our memories. And our secret song.” He took a deep breath, smiling as Coren watched him play. “ _Goodnight, goodnight. It’s time now to sleep. The moon’s watching over, you and your dreams. Goodnight, goodnight, my sweet little one. Tomorrow, your eyes, they will light up the sun.”_ Coren’s eyes started to drift shut. He clutched his raccoon plushie in his hands as he was lulled to sleep. Tooie smiled fondly at how adorable his little brother was.

 _“Goodnight, goodnight, sweet dreams for now. Drift off to sleep on your pillow of clouds. Goodnight, goodnight, my sweet little friend. Tomorrow’s adventures will soon begin. Tomorrow’s adventures will soon begin.”_ Tooie listened to the last note echo softly in the room. He quietly checked on Coren, making sure he was actually asleep before getting up. He jumped slightly when he saw the gems smiling at him from the door. With an embarrassed blush, he shooed them from the room and closed the door.

Pearl had her hand against her cheek as she stared at Tooie. “You care so much about him. That was really sweet to see.” Dad chuckled and clapped a hand against his eldest son’s back. “Tooie does a lot for Steven. He’s always making him meals, reading stories or playing with him, and he helps him go to bed with a story or a song.” He smiled at the fond look in his Dad’s eyes. “I’m really proud of him. He does so much for his little brother.”

The gems laughed softly at the flush that crept up Tooie’s neck at his dad’s blatant praise. “Well, we’ll have to make sure you teach us how to care for him before you go.” That was good to hear. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about remembering to tell them. He smiled as they said goodnight and walked out the door. His dad stood beside him with a hand on his shoulder. “You did great, Schtu-ball.”


	9. Anything For A Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hourglass is almost fully charged. But Tooie promised to bring Coren over to Barbara's for a play date with Sadie. Maybe he'll fix one last thing before he goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Birthday, Mun! This is part one of Mun's birthday present from me. Mun is the creator of the Corrupted Baby Steven AU on Tumblr. 
> 
> I'm sorry it took me so long to get a new chapter out. I had the worst writer's block for a while.

Tooie had become increasingly anxious as the days passed. The Crystal Gems had already begun work on constructing a house around the temple, planning the dimensions and rooms, while his dad helped with gathering supplies after work. He did his best to not look at the hourglass, but he couldn’t help noticing how much sand had drained out from the last time he checked. Coren had picked up on his older brother’s nerves and had been almost inseparable from Tooie’s side. It was like he knew that something was going to happen. And that day happened two weeks after Tooie’s arrival.

The eldest brother walked into the kitchen to start his daily routine of making breakfast. He grabbed some plates and went to the cupboard to get the pancake mix when he caught sight of the hourglass. Almost all of the sand was sitting at the bottom of the two hourglass heads. Tooie’s heart dropped. Was it really almost time for him to go home? He didn’t even notice Dad walk into the room.

“Morning, Tooie!” The man paused when his son didn’t reply. “Son?” He followed his gaze to the hourglass. His eyes widened once he came to the same realization that Tooie did. “You’ll be leaving soon.” He sighed. Greg loved having both of his sons with him. And he would certainly miss him dearly, but Greg knew that Tooie needed to go home. And he also looked like he needed some reassurance.

Tooie jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He sighed in relief when he saw it was just his dad. “Oh, Dad, you scared me. I didn’t hear you come in.”

His father looked at him, worriedly. “Schtu-ball, are you okay? You seem a little out of it.” The time traveler plastered a fake smile on his face.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine! I was just about to make breakfast. Are you hungry? Are pancakes good?” Greg watched as Tooie nervously flitted around the kitchen. He knew his son was trying to change the subject and waited for him to pass by before he gently grabbed him by the shoulders. “Dad?”

Greg sighed. “You’re worried about leaving, aren’t you?” Tooie opened and closed his mouth a couple of times before slumping his shoulders. “Yeah. I want to go home, but this place has become home too.” The young man looked his father in the eyes. “I’m gonna miss you guys so much. And I’m scared I won’t be able to see you guys again.”

“You will.” Warm brown eyes widened as Tooie looked at him in surprise. “Even if you can’t find a way to come back to this universe, you’ll have your memories of us. I’ll get you some pictures, and if you ever miss us, you can look back at some of your photos.” Greg pulled him into a hug. “Do you have any plans today? I’ll close up the wash early so I can help with dinner.”

Tooie hummed as he broke out of the hug. That sounded nice. Just a little time with his family before he went back home. He looked at the utensils he had out. “Why don’t we start by making breakfast together? I already promised Barbara we’d hang out today, so I’ll probably do that around lunchtime. And then we can make dinner together as well and invite the gems.” The older man smiled and jokingly saluted him

“Aye, aye, captain! I’ll go get Coren, and then we can get started.” He walked back into the hallway. Tooie finished grabbing the rest of the items he needed by the time he returned with Coren. The infant laughed when he saw him, reaching his arms out to be held.

“Steven! Morning, Sunshine!” He took his little brother from his dad and hugged him. “Tooie! Tooie!” Coren’s tail wagged happily at the affectionate greeting. Their dad started working on some eggs while Tooie set Coren down in a highchair.

They worked together to make a hearty breakfast. Coren tried to help with the pancake mix when Greg left it on the table. He ended up spilling flour all over and sneezed when he got it on his face and hair. Tooie was laughing too hard to talk as his father ran to snatch the bag out of the baby’s grasp. In the end, it was the perfect morning.

* * *

Tooie hummed as he knocked on the door of Barbara Miller’s house. Although his dad knew that Tooie was visiting the friendly mother, Tooie purposely refrained from mentioning that it was for a play date. Greg was under the impression that the gems were watching Coren, and it was too easy to go along with it.

Barb opened the door and gestured for them to come in. “It’s so nice to see you two! How’ve you been?” Tooie shifted his hold on Coren so he could see her better.

“We’re both doing fine. How are you and Sadie?” Tooie followed Barbara as she led him to the living room. It was very warm and homey. Sadie was sitting on the carpet in front of the TV and looked up when they entered the room.

“Hi, Mr. Tooie! Hi, Steven!” Tooie waved at her after he set Coren down.

“Hello, Sadie! Watcha watching?” The young girl crossed her feet and rocked back a little as she turned back to the show.

“I’m watching this new show called Quacktales. It’s about these ducks that go on adventures! And they have a lot of troubles with family, but everyone works together to understand each other.” Tooie smiled as she patted the spot next to her, and Coren crawled over. He sat down beside her and began watching the show.

“That sounds like a lot of fun. Who’s your favorite character?” Sadie hummed in thought.

Giggling, she pointed at the character with the squeaky voice and the sailor suit. “I like Matthew Mallard the best. He works super hard, even though he’s really unlucky, and he really loves his family.” The duck she was talking about showed up on the screen, quacking about something while throwing a tantrum. “And he’s really misunderstood. His family and friends don’t often realize what he’s saying, and they usually end up making things worse. He’s really frustrated by it and wishes they would listen to him more.”

Tooie realized that Sadie wasn’t really talking about Matthew anymore. She was pouting at her mom as she talked about the character, and when the young man looked to see what she thought, it was apparent the Barb hadn’t understood what Sadie implied. “Well, I’ll let you get back to the show then.” He turned to Barbara and quietly motioned for her to follow him to the kitchen.

“Oh, do you want anything to drink? I’ve got soda, juice, water, or coffee?” Barb made to grab a glass, but Tooie shook his head.

“No, I’m alright. I just thought we could talk about a couple of things while the kids were distracted.” Tooie looked back over at the two kids, happily watching the show together. “Did you notice something about Sadie when she talked about her favorite character?” The mother shook her head.

“No, I don’t think so. Is something wrong?” Tooie sighed and prepared himself. He remembered how Sadie talked about her mom’s overbearing nature when she backed out of the Beach-a-palooza a couple of years ago. It seemed like she had already started doing it.

“Has Sadie talked about swimming?” The mother’s eyes lit up. She squealed in joy as she grabbed Tooie’s hands.

“Yes! Did she tell you about it? She told me several months ago that she wanted to try swimming, so I signed her up for swim classes and the Beach City Seals swim team. They have a swim meet coming up in a couple of weeks, and I’m so excited about it! She’s going to be amazing!” Yup, so Tooie did remember correctly.

“Oh, boy…” He mumbled under his breath. When the young man didn’t share her excitement, Barb frowned. “Look, Barbara. I know you just want to support Sadie’s interests, but do you think you might be going overboard? She’s only just started swimming, and you signed her up for a competitive team. Don’t you think she would rather take it slow, and enjoy swimming for fun?” The single mom sighed and looked between her friend and her daughter.

“Did she tell you that she wasn’t happy?” Tooie shook his head.

“No, but I picked it up when she was talking about the character. She said Matthew was frustrated with his family because they didn’t understand what he meant and made things worse. But she said it like she understood his frustration. You’re misunderstanding what she wants and making it about what you want instead.” The young woman wilted. Tooie winced as she sat down at the table and put her head in her hands.

“You know what? I think you’re right.” She brushed her hands through her hair in frustration. “I want the best for my little girl. I love her, but I’m not respecting her wishes. I thought I was making her happy, but I could tell something was bothering her a little.” Barbara smiled at Tooie and gestured for him to sit. He pulled out a seat next to her, quietly waiting for her to continue. “That’s part of the reason I offered a play date. Sadie’s always been good with others. I was hoping maybe having a friend would cheer her up a little. And look how great this is.” She pulled him into a side hug. “My baby girl gets a friend, and I get some well-needed advice. We both got a friend out of this.”

Tooie laughed as she gave him a noogie. That was something he always admired about her. She was so friendly and always optimistic about things. “I’m glad I could help. I wanted to meet up today because I’m probably going home sometime in the next couple of days.” His friend frowned as she broke off the hug.

“Well, you’ll be able to keep in touch, right? Maybe the next time you’re here in Beach City, we can hang out.” Tooie looked over at his little brother and back to Barb’s questioning gaze.

He took a deep breath. “The truth is… I’m a time traveler.” Barb blinked a couple of times in confusion. Tooie continued before she could freak out. “So, you already know about Steven and the other magical ladies in Beach City. One of their magical artifacts accidentally sent me back in time as well as a slightly different reality.” Her jaw dropped, and she clutched at her chest in shock. “D-don’t panic! Promise me you won’t panic!” Barbara nodded as she stood up and filled a glass with water. She drank it, then filled it again.

“Okay, so magical time travel. Weird. Really weird.” She sipped her drink. “So, why would you tell me about it?” Tooie brushed a hand through his hair.

“The artifact that brought me here is capable of sending me back home any day now. So, I won’t be able to keep in contact, and I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to come back and visit.” He put his head in his hands. “My dad is scared of what the residents of Beach City will think of his son. I know all of you guys would be fine with who he is, but I don’t think my dad will introduce him on his own.” He turned to look at his friend. She was waiting patiently for him to formulate his request. “Could you go by the house and ‘accidentally’ discover Steven in a week or two? That way, when he sees you and Sadie getting along well with Steven, he’ll hopefully realize that he has nothing to worry about.”

Barb laughed and patted Tooie on the back. “Sure, Tooie! Anything for a friend of mine. I’ll be sure to fill Sadie in on the plan as well. She’ll definitely want to play with Steven again.”

The two settled into small talk about each other and eventually made their way back into the living room to watch the show with the kids. When Tooie walked back into the room, Coren perked up in happiness. The little baby propped himself up, using Sadie, into a standing position, and take a shaky step forward. Tooie gasped in awe and knelt down with his hands out. “Come on, Steven. You can do it!” Barb sat down next to Sadie and smiled softly at her before turning her attention to Tooie and Coren. His baby brother giggled as he wagged his tail and took stumbled the last couple of steps into Tooie’s arms. The young man scooped him up in joy and nuzzled him. “You did so well! I’m so proud of you!” Barbara saw the two brothers laughing together and smiled. She wanted this close bond with her daughter, and she knew what she needed to do.

There was a moment when Tooie offered to help with lunch, where Barbara had a moment alone with Sadie. He knew exactly what they talked about when Sadie ran to give him a big hug and whispered ‘thank you’ as he and Coren were leaving.

It didn’t take them long to swing by the temple to invite the gems over for dinner, and then head over to the house. However, Tooie couldn’t help the feeling of dread when he saw the hourglass glimmering on the counter when they got home. The hourglass was fully charged.


	10. Scrapbook of Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's hard for everyone, but it's finally time for Tooie to go home. After some heartfelt goodbyes, he gets to give some heartfelt greetings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's finally complete! Here's part 2 of Mun's Birthday gift. The epilogue and completion of a story I started 4 months ago. It's always bittersweet to end a story, but it's nice to tie things off into a conclusion. The end of this story is made to coincide with the first chapter of Mun's story, The Baby is the Time Traveler, which is a continuation of this story by the creator of the Corrupted Baby AU.
> 
> Thank you everyone, for reading this story! And hopefully, I'll have another story for this AU in the works over the summer. :3

The family dinner was much more subdued than the last one. Everyone was disappointed to know that Tooie would be leaving that night. He had insisted it would be better to leave after he tucked Coren into bed, but part of the reason was Tooie knew he’d start making excuses to stay if he didn’t leave that night. Greg was glad that he had closed early because he was able to run to the store on his way home and buy several things for scrapbooking. The dinner itself was relatively simple. They didn’t want the young man doing all of the work Amethyst was the only gem that ate with them.

After dinner, the whole family sat in the living room, placing pictures and stickers in a large scrapbook that read _Tooie and His Family From Another Brother_. But it was late, Coren needed to go to bed, and it was time for Tooie to say goodbye. The young man carried his baby brother to his bedroom and set him down in his crib. “Hey, Steven. I have to go home now.” He felt tears well up in his eyes as his little brother sleepily reached up and made grabby motions with his hands. Tooie laughed as he grabbed his brother’s little hands. “Just because I’m leaving doesn’t mean I’ll ever forget you. You’re my little brother, and I’m going to miss you so much.” Coren sat up and pulled his hand out of his older brother’s grasp. He reached out for Tooie again.

“Tooie!” The young man leaned over the crib and gently nuzzled his forehead to Coren’s. The little baby calmed down and laid back down again. That was Tooie’s cue to tuck his baby brother in and sing their special song.

Once Coren was asleep, Tooie softly closed the door and turned to face the rest of his family. “Well, I’m going to leave now before I lose my resolve.” He was met with a group hug and whispers of goodbye. Pearl tearily handed him the scrapbook, and they headed into the kitchen. Tooie tucked the book into his jacket before picking up the hourglass. Greg walked forward as Tooie prepared to leave for one last hug.

“Bye, Steven. I’m so proud of the man you’ve become. I love you, and I’m going to miss you so much.” Greg patted his son’s head and backed away.

“We’ll miss you, Tooie.” Garnet lightly punched his arm with a smile.

Pearl hugged him with tears streaming down her cheeks. “Thank you for showing us how much we needed Steven in our lives.”

Amethyst fist bumped him and winked. “Don’t forget us, alright?”

Tooie smiled fondly at everyone. “Never. I love you guys! I’ll try to find a way to come back and visit, but if not, you have duplicates of all the pictures you gave me. And tell Steven how much I love him, okay?” They smiled and waved. Tooie took a deep breath and flipped the hourglass.

* * *

The beach house was dark and quiet. But the interior spoke a different story. The couch cushions had been scattered across the floor, Steven’s bed covers were strewn about, and some clothes had been haphazardly thrown on the floor. When Tooie had arrived back in his own time, he had landed outside Vidalia’s house. Luckily, it was night, and no one was out, so Tooie ran to the beach house as fast as he could. Terror seized his heart as he took in the disheveled state of the house. Were the gems attacked while he was gone? But everything was peaceful now, so why was the house so messed up? The young man set his scrapbook and hourglass down on the table, then whipped out his phone. The second he turned it on, he met with a barrage of notifications. _Voicemail full. Messages full. 250 missed messages. 50 voicemails. 323 missed calls._

Tooie hurriedly opened up his messages and scrolled through his most recent ones. He’d been messaged by Dad, Connie, the Crystal Gems, Lapis, Peridot, and Bismuth. His eyes scanned as more and more names showed up. Lars, Sadie, the Cool Kids, and Uncle Andy had tried to contact him as well. Every message was the same, asking where he was, if he could contact them when he got the chance, and worried messages asking if he was okay. The messages from his family and closest friends had shifted over time to messaging him about their day and wishing he’d contact them soon. He ended up calling his Dad first.

That had ended up being a tearful talk with a promise of his dad meeting him at the house in several minutes. Tooie continued calling his family. He let them know that he was okay and that he would explain more later after he’d told everyone else he was back. Connie had sworn she would get her mom to buy a tracker for him if he ever did something so dumb again. Tooie promised to visit first thing in the morning. By the time Tooie had finished messaging everyone, his Dad was pulling up in the van outside while the warp went off.

“STEVEN!” All six of the Crystal Gems cried out and dogpiled him. He went down laughing as he was yanked into a group hug. His dad slammed the front door open just as they were sitting up, and everyone toppled over again from the force of the man’s hug.

“What happened? You were gone for two weeks, and we were so worried! You didn’t leave a note or answer any of your calls or messages!” Pearl tried to look intimidating as she scolded him, but it was hard with how much she was crying. Lapis and Peridot started griping at him, while Bismuth tried to calm everyone down.

Tooie busted out into laughter, gaining everyone’s attention. He was already missing Coren and the rest of his family in the other universe, but he really missed his family here too. He smiled as he walked over to the kitchen counter and picked up the album. “Boy, do I have a story to tell you.”


End file.
